The Gangs of Zion

At the Manhattan Club in downtown Salt Lake City, Pacific
Islanders flashed gang symbols and both traditional and
gang-related tattoos. The day after this photo was taken, several
of the men (not those pictured) attended services at the Mapusaga
Ward, a Samoan-speaking congregation of the Mormon Church

JT Thomas

Samoan-Americans Fiailoa and March Malaeulu and their
daughter Chessleeann, members of the Mapusaga Ward, mix Mormon
culture with Island culture. Thanks in large part to the church,
Pacific Islanders are perhaps Utah's fasted growing ethnic group.
Mapusaga ward leaders estimate that their congregation grows by
half every year

JT Thomas

Young Samoans pray during Sunday school at Mapusaga.
Insiders say that gang members use church services and events to
network and recruit on the sly. A Web site for Pacific Islanders in
Utah recently editorialized, 'Most Tongan gang members in Utah are
members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We've
always known this, yet we don't talk about it..

JT Thomas

Miles Kinikini, who now sells trucks and SUVs at Larry H.
Miller Truckland, flashes signs associated with the Tongan Crip
Gang. When the police arrested them, says Kinikini, the first
question he and his friends would ask was, 'This won't prevent me
from going on my mission, will it?' Kinikini says he's settled down
in recent years, but there are still temptations: 'There's a bullet
hole in my front window. I wanted to avenge that, but I thought
better.'

JT Thomas

Members of the Salt Lake City Police Department's Metro
Gang Unit keep a close eye on the crowd outside Club Mangattan,
where a young gangster was shot earlier this year. In the first six
months of 2005, Salt Lake area gangs were responsible for 132
assaults, 20 robberies, 16 drive-by shootings and two
homicides

JT Thomas

West Valley City police officer Umu Manatau with his
police portrait and family photos. Three of Manatau's five sons
have tangled with the law for their involvement in gangs. 'I was
not aware at all,' he says. 'The way they did it was
secret.'

JT Thomas

Umu Manatau (L) sits with friend and fellow police officer
Cliff Chase. Once, when Chase heard a rival gang was targeting
Manatau's sons, he sat in his car outside their house, guarding it
for three straight nights. Polynesian gang members once shot up
Chase's house, just missing his sleeping nephew

JT Thomas

Kuli Pupunu says he has left his gang days behind. Today,
he works full time, goes to school at night, and makes music with
his friends in a basement studio. The studio is affiliated with
Aiga Records, an all-Polynesian indie, hip-hop, hard-core and rap
company that tries to put a positive light on Polynesians. 'Some of
us are gangsters, some of us were gangsters, but we do this (make
music) because it is a better thing to do for all Polys.'

JT Thomas

A sign on Skull Valley Road points to Iosepa, the site of
a former settlement of Mormons from the Pacific Islands. The church
evacuated the settlement in the early 1900s, after disease and
harsh winters took a serious toll on the population. Despite the
hard times, many settlers cried on their way out of Iosepa,
prompting the name, 'the trail of tears.'

In Mormon Country, young Polynesians search
for identity — and for escape from a seemingly unstoppable
cycle of violence

On Oct. 14, 2003, a warm,
Indian summer night settled over Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. At
Club Suede, a nightclub just outside of the resort town of Park
City, a crowd gathered to see reggae musician Lucky Dube. Patrons
spilled out onto the club’s outdoor patios. Inside, they
hovered shoulder-to-shoulder in the close confines of the club, a
glassy, angular second-floor space that jutted out from a strip
mall toward the sagebrush-studded meadows of Summit County.

The show was a reunion of sorts for young Pacific
Islanders, many of whom had made the trip up from the Salt Lake
Valley. Famously large, and often tattooed, the young men and women
had roots in Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii and other Pacific Island groups.
They crowded in with brothers, sisters and cousins, amping up for
Dube’s outspoken lyrics and mellow backbeats.

The
good-natured revelry was short-lived.

Just after the band
began to play, pushing and shoving broke out in the audience.
Someone in the front threw beer onto Dube. Suddenly, a group of men
attacked 30-year-old Kautoke Tangitau, also known as
“Toke.”

They assaulted him on the dance floor
and then dragged him out to the balcony, where they stomped on his
body and kicked him in the face. The fighting swiftly escalated
into what police described as a riot; dozens of clubgoers traded
blows.

Sheriff’s deputies called to the scene
ordered Lucky Dube to stop playing and the patrons to evacuate the
club. But it was too late for Toke Tangitau: Under the bassy beats
of the band, none of the police — and few of the revelers
— heard the shot from the .22-caliber handgun that punched
into his heart from point-blank range. As fighting erupted over his
body, he bled to death in the mountain air.

It
didn’t take sheriff’s deputies long to find the signs
of gang conflict: As the crowd poured out of the club, they found
graffiti scrawled in marker on Club Suede’s walls, and heard
shouts — “Glendale will make good on this!”

Detectives later learned that Tangitau was a longtime
member of the Tongan Crip Gang, a Polynesian street gang that had
started in California and spread to Salt Lake Valley. His attackers
were members of the Baby Regulators, another Tongan gang, and one
of the Tongan Crips’ most hated rivals.

The
violence at Suede was the eruption of tensions that had been
building for years between the gangs. But it was also maddeningly
ordinary: Islanders shooting other Islanders has become routine in
Salt Lake gang life, which, contrary to popular belief, is now
worse than ever.

In the Intermountain West, gangs have
pervaded cities like Albuquerque, Phoenix and Denver for decades.
Now, smaller cities such as Reno and Boise have serious gang
problems, too. According to the National Criminal Justice Reference
Service, 91 Western cities outside of California have reported gang
problems. They include Cheyenne, Wyo., Great Falls, Mont., Twin
Falls, Idaho, and Grand Junction, Colo. Gangs are even turning up
in towns as small as Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Lake Havasu
City, Ariz. They’ve arrived in rural Indian Country as well.

The Salt Lake City area, despite its clean-cut
reputation, has all the ingredients to create gang culture,
according to the National Youth Gang Center: ineffective families
and schools; kids with too much free time; limited career
opportunities; and segregated, often ghettoized, neighborhoods.

Utah has its share of domestic violence, as well. Last
year, 23 people died as a result of violence in the home. And
according to a recent report from the governor’s office, the
numbers are on the rise.

Salt Lake City’s gang
violence, once thought to be under control, has escalated in recent
years. From 2001 to 2004, the number of documented gang members in
the Salt Lake Valley rose from 3,781 to 4,544. In 2003, the number
of serious gang-related crimes was double that of two years
earlier. Last year, Salt Lake Valley gangs were responsible for 94
aggravated assaults, 54 robberies, 97 drug offenses and six
homicides. There are dozens of Latino gangs claiming allegiance to
the California gangs Sureños and
Norteños; there are Southeast Asian gangs
who rob their fellow immigrants’ stashes of cash, hidden away
because of their distrust of banks; there are bands of racist
skinheads, and even young Straight Edge gangs who punish those who
smoke or drink.

Polynesian kids don’t seem to fit
the profile of gang members, however. Most Pacific Islander
families are the picture of stability. And most Polynesian families
in Utah belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
the pillar of family values and respectability. Because of the
Mormon Church, in fact, Utah is home to the largest Tongan, Samoan
and other Pacific Islander communities in the United States outside
of Hawaii and California.

Yet while Islanders make up
only about 1 percent of the Salt Lake Valley’s population,
they comprise 13 percent of the documented gang members. Detectives
say that Polynesian gangs stand out due to their violence. Because
of their intimidating physical size, their members often serve as
enforcers for other gangs that traffic in drugs. They’re
known for their brutal fistfights, and for shooting at their rivals
and at law enforcement officials.

Polynesian parents find
it hard to believe that their churchgoing children are involved in
the American scourge of gang violence. Their communities are
supposed to embody everything this valley has stood for: family,
faith and a new beginning.

But the “happy
valley” in the heart of the Mormon Zion has become a crowded
battleground. The Polynesian Saints traveled thousands of miles
from one group of islands only to find themselves in another. On
the west side of Salt Lake city, ethnic communities are islands
unto themselves, surrounded by a sea of white suburbia; from the
vantage point of West Valley City, Kearns, Taylorsville and West
Jordan, the mountains that edge this valley only increase the sense
of isolation.

For young Polynesians, what started as
reasonable self-defense against other ghettoized ethnic groups, or
else grew out of the centuries-old rivalry between Samoans and
Tongans, has become a monster that has disfigured their powerful
family allegiances. The church, for the most part, has left
Polynesian families to fend for themselves. Now, the resulting
cycle of violence is crashing down through the generations.

this is truly inspiring, as a pacific islander
the most important things we get taught growing up is
God,Love and Respect amongst our family and neighbours, as a tongan
i understand the difficuilties a father can have trying to raise
boys, especially for you families over there in the
u.s. malo and God bless.

Anonymous

Apr 10, 2007 10:53 AM

this is a geat article.. it helps to remind
parents to take care of their kids or they will never see them
again. If you think being in a gang is great... your
wrong, your only thinking of yourself and hurting those who love
you... I'd like to thank the author of this article.. it
shows that someone actually cares about the poly's out
there in the world.

stop being selfish, and
think of those who care for you all their lives..

Anonymous

May 01, 2007 03:30 PM

this is really an intriguing story..im
really happy to wander the net and see former tongan gang bangers
give feed back on there ups and downs of there jorneys in the gang
life..i got to learn alot especially having a baby sister and five
brothers repping CUH-RIP..like it's our pride..but hey cant
blame them cuz im currently dating a gang member but every day i
fear of loosing a loved one because of my boyfriend is in another
CUH-RIP gang that doesnt get along with the gang that my brothers
are in..but i think that im goning to get all my brothers to read
this story..because i think it can inspire teens and bangers to be
more for there family than just BANG!!!..thanx to the people who
made this and was included..

Anonymous

May 09, 2007 12:23 PM

SHAME FOR THOSE PITFULL ONES THAT DONT GET
IT ... LIKE THE TCG BOY BELOW ME .... USELESS I TELL YOU , USELESS
....... HE DOESNT EVEN BOTHER READING ANYTHING BUT THREE LETTERS
..... MOI'HE MIMI !

Anonymous

May 14, 2007 11:25 AM

Alot of my friends are baby regulators and tcgs and
they all have mixed reactions when i ask, "is this the
life you wana live for the rest of your life". alot of
them say its the only life they'll ever live. some say they
are gona get out if they graduate, but if they dont they'll
just stay in. others tell me they try and try to get out but its
just too easy to slip into their old habits. I honestly believe
that my friends that are in gangs are good people that just make
bad decisions because these streets influence bad behavior. their
poor they're defensless and their parents let them go free
in this world without caring what they do, in alot of
cases. so they find comfort in their peers and sadly their peers
are gang members. suddenly that comfort becomes pride and they
start to live that gang life we all hear about through out the
whole west side of salt lake. ive seen too many kids throw away
their lives to this gang bullshit. it is my opinion that the best
way to get kids out of gangs is the basic concept of reward over
punishment. instead of telling the young generations the
consequence of gang life. we ought to tell them the rewards of
living a gang free life. show them alternatives to gangs like
colledge sports programs in schools and even start schoarship funds
for kids who escape gang life to pursue a better life. kids join
gangs alot of the time cause they have nothing better
to do. lets prove them wrong.

Anonymous

May 21, 2007 12:18 PM

My first week in SLC consisted of hearing
news about Tongans and Samoans "beefing" and
whatever-it made me laugh that these friggins are actually going at
it like its a popularity thing. Back home, the
two islands get along real good, I went to school with Tongans, I
know a lot of Tongans and yet Im full samoan, what the heck is
wrong here? NOTHING - Im begining to see why theres feud between
the islanders, and thats being raised here in the mainland with
just bits of the culture being taught. As I read this
report, which is actually the first article i've ever read
through in my life, I felt motivated to go out and do something
about it-but what can I do, thank goodness to Mike Brunt
and his program, hopefully more and more teenagers take advantage
of this to change their lifestyle instead of using it to recruit
members, and may I say that was very disrespectful of them to use
sacred meetings to recruit, WHO DA HELL DO YOU PEOPLE THINK YOU
ARE?

Anonymous

May 22, 2007 06:03 PM

look i ain't trying to let nobody down but i
am a "g" and i don't have to wear
whatever clothes and whatever color, i don't have to det or
buy a gun, i don't have to join anybody's
gang.....if ur a g den let it be n just keep ur shit to urself....u
ain't got to let ur anger affect others and get them killed
too....respect and love is what this stupid-ass world
needs.....

Anonymous

May 23, 2007 12:07 PM

I understand why us polys joined gangs and
yes, it is very understandable, but what we must remember is that
matu'a came to this country for a better lyfe so why ruine
our lives in vain. We climbed on the backs of the matu'a
now we act as if we did it ourselves. To the tongan kids out there
all i have to say is 'Oua
'e
li'aki e ngaahi anga faka-Tonga!!!

Anonymous

May 23, 2007 03:46 PM

i really think this is nice for ppl to read about us
tongans maybe it would help family that got tongan crip members in
there family. i got 4 brothers that are in the tonga crip
gang...and i really dont think that it cool. and when my other
family members try to talk to them they alway got something to say.
so i thinlk all i can do for now is juss pray that everything is
gonna be okay. and hope to god that they would turn into the right
path. you ppl out there reading this might think my family dont
care and juss lets the bois do what ever but it not even like
that

Anonymous

May 30, 2007 11:25 AM

I am of Tongan-Samoan heritage - my great
grandparents on both my mother's and father's side
were full blooded Tongan. However, my parents were raised
in Samoa before immigrating here to NZ. I am proud of my
heritage - the good side of it anyway. For
example, the true meaning of 'alofa' which
is 'to always leave another individual better off from
having known you', thereby your engagement makes a
difference for good in the world. Alofa is not a passive
notion but based upon action for looking out for each
other.

However, I am not proud of my
Polynesian temper - like a cancer it seeks vengence over
forgiveness, over alofa, over looking out for others.
Basically, it is the antithesis of what alofa is because it stops
you from looking out for others to satisfying what you want for
yourself.

Gangs are not based on
brotherhood or kinship - they are poor imitations. If you
want to find true kinship, true connections and true
brotherhood then you need to go back to the basics taught
to you by your parents and church leaders. Only the
Priesthood of God found in the gospel of Jesus Christ exercises
true alofa!

Anonymous

Jun 11, 2007 11:38 AM

As individuals of the "right"
church, members should be take their responsibility of representing
what they believe in and their church. Hypocracy is one thing that
brings down the integrity of a church, you can't ignore
this one problem as one part of the world that does not represent
the whole "true" church. The fact that members
still feel the need to relate to gangs shows the validity and
strength the Mormon teachings are.

When you let God in, all things are
possible.

Anonymous

Jun 25, 2007 04:25 PM

I don't care if these gang bangers from the
3rd world remove each other from the American populous, I just wish
they would stop ruining my beloved America. They are a waste of
American taxmoney and I hope that no innocent American is caught in
the crossfire. We really need to have a time out on immigration to
this country.

Racist

Katie T

Sep 19, 2010 11:40 PM

I am a caucasian american woman married to a Tongan man. For you to say we need an imigration time out is so ignorant. There are "white" gangs just as gangs of minorities. You are ignorant. Your family once migrated here and I wish they would have had a time out when you became a concept. Stop believing you are the truer race and contributing to the "race war".

Anonymous

Jun 28, 2007 11:30 AM

i hardout rep TCG..tho not as bad as i use to bak
then..my brother got shot in a drive by,my cuzn was
stabbed and shot in the heart this was all due to gang violence
there deaths made me wake up..even little kids are geting killed
because pepol think that revenge is the ansa....my dad is a
minister at the free church of tonga hea in new zealand..daily him
and my mother would akonaki'i me and my brothers to seek to
the lord for guidence and help and to get out of the whole gang
crap before its too late..yet we decided not to listen to our
parents words of wisdom and do our own thing..i am embarrest for my
parents becoz here they are teaching pepol about the lord and yet
theyre own kids are shooting pepol and thinking we all tuff and
breaking the law..taking pepols lives especially wen theyre
innocent and fighting brings nothing but hatred and sadness..we are
all tongans it shouldnt matter what gang u in or what u be
representing we are from the same country and hav grown up from the
same roots..instead of killing each other why not staand together
and save each other..how many more pepol u wana kill and hurt
before ur satisfyed worse how many loved ones u wana loose before u
change ur ways..up to u if u but i jus dont want any of you to go
thru the pain that i had to suffer.. oua e totongi e kovi aki ae
kovi

1lov and godbless

MATE
MA'A TONGA

Anonymous

Aug 08, 2007 11:35 AM

wat a waste...no wonder tongans and other polys are
gettin a bad name...freakin tongans killin tongans...

All of you you need to learn how to SPELL. You sound
like freakin retards!

Anonymous

Aug 30, 2007 10:50 AM

I grew up in Glendale. Out of the 20 or so friends i
had in seventh grade at glendale intermediate back in the mid
90's about three of us walked (graduated) with our class in
high school. The others had become casualties of the hood.(gangs,
unplanned pregnancies, locked up ect.) The reality of it all is
this, with out an outlet (football) the church (pioneer ward), and
a great and very involved father i would have been a statistic
myself. There is a strong loyalty to the neighborhood or kolo where
u from, regardless if your mormon, catholic, wesylana, u grow up
with a sense of family amongst your dearest of friends.In my
opinion thats where the danger starts, as you become close to
friends, you distance your self from authority figures in your life
and their council. Before you know it, its too late. When you
finally realize that those authority figures(parents, youth
leaders, bishops) were right. Your probably reading in second Nephi
in DT , decker lake, or even county. Before you get to that point
yours must be a conscience disesion, not loyalty to friends but to
family and leaders. We as a people are naturally spiritual, one of
cornerstones of tongan culture is
LOVE, and the questions indeed has to
be asked "Where do we think that LOVE
comes from" and "Where does
LOVE really come from" as we
realize the answer to the first question, the latter becomes more
apparent. Our parents will never
abandon us no matter what, theirs is LOVE thats
UNCONDITIONAL. The hard part
for us as first generation tongan-americans, is dealing with the
generation gap. With our parents growing up in Tonga, trying to
relate to children to growing up in the hip hop, paris hilton,
micheal vick, culture of America as we know it. Misunderstanding,
Clashes of culture are inevitable. The responsibility therein lies
on us. Our parents can plead ignorance, but we cannot. This
potential to overcome is within each of us. My father was not the
smartest guy in the world, nor was he able to relate to me, more
than my friends fathers had with them, But i came to an
understanding that all he wanted the best for me, in his broken
english he would say "Time keep on going",
translation "keep moving forward". This became
common ground in an otherwise uncommon relationship. That even
though he relied on the teachers of the public schools system,
sunday school, YM leaders to teach me, his intention was for me in
a BLIND FAITH kind of way was to "Keep on
going".

<b><font color=green>wass
good??.... well i juss wanted to write and say that, I mean, I use
to bang red and things like that. But when I started to finally
realize why my mom didnt let me wear so much red.... it was bekause
so many poly's and other people would juss get shot on the
spot for wearin the wrong kolor.... no wat im sayin??.... so i
dropped all that and now, im doin school and im doin aiight, but
there are some little times that when things go down, i have to be
there.... you know what i mean??.... but then i have second thought
bout my life and my mom, and family..... so i juss tell the homies,
you know, juss think about your life and your future., if anythings
goin to happen, juss in case.... so i juss tell them a lil sum sum
see if it will get through there head, so chea..... well i juss
wanted to do a lil shout out, to whoever, and you if your readin
this, but chea aiight then......TaKE CaRE.....

Anonymous

Sep 19, 2007 11:30 AM

we'd travel a distance to come
here..... for
what. may GOD help
us all.

Anonymous

Sep 24, 2007 11:59 AM

im a married man that grew up in cali than later moved
to utah.i was influenced by the gang life ever since i was 5 yrs
old.i joined a gang i got close to from many occassions
that they had my back,i banged regulatas to the
fullest.being in and out of juvenile corrections and jail was my
life the hood was life.it came to a point that i even had family
from rival gangs but i didnt give a dayum about.from the prayers of
my mother and father i evntually pulled through,dont get me wrong
im still down for my set,but i just dont go around raising
havock.the messagge i want to leave to the younger generation is
dont forget where we came from and what our parents and
grandparents sacraficed to get us here!dont forget how we were
brought up Fale lotu,api ako,api!!!!the homies will always be there
but when worse comes to worse Famili comes first!!!!!OFA ATU, LIL
CUZZINS

Anonymous

Oct 03, 2007 11:30 AM

much love to all polys. unfortunately, its easier said
than done. by nature im a funloving guy. but its very difficult to
enjoy yourself when everywhere you go in SL, rival members shoot at
you. so i shoot back! dont ever ask me to turn the other cheek,
cause i could be dead by then. we polys are the most grudging and
vengeful race, and you of all people should know that. i've
never had problems with tongans until i moved to salt lake!
i've never had problems with other samoans until i moved to
california! if they dont stop shooting at me, i wont stop shooting
back. i have no problem with going fist to fist, since its part of
our culture to fight. its also part of our culture to love. so,
much love to all the neutral polys and our elders. take care of
yourselves and be safe out there.

Anonymous

Oct 15, 2007 11:09 AM

Its Such a pity that even
after reading this article that there are still people who are
ignorant and still "rep" their
"hoods",

Polynesian Gangs in Australia are starting to make their
mark in various places

The comment before
about Goodna Gangs made me laugh. I'm mostly samoan and I
am proud to be i also am a member of the church of jesus christ of
latter day saints. That comment from the U.F.O
"gangsta" and i quote

"but yea i
live in a blood hood where if you wear blue you get shot at or
jumped.......yeah Most Bloods are on the
westside/southside"

i wouldn`t put it to that extreme, long gone are the days
when people could walk around goodna at night and not be confronted
by an enemy gang just waiting for someone to
"jump" you. The Rivalry between the tongans and
the samoans these days is ridiculous. But The thing is most of the
samoan and tongan boys that "beef" it and
"scrap" are all apart of the church. Pure mockery
of the church and no respect at all for each other. I am so proud
to hear when a polynesian brother makes it somewhere and still
stands strong in the church. ie.

Kris Inu-
Rugby League Player ( Parramata Eels)

&&

Israel Folau- Rugby League
Player (Melbourne Storm)

Kris is
samoan and Israel is tongan, yet they are the best of friends!

I hope one day, that we can all just live in
harmony. Hopefully sooner then later!

Anonymous

Oct 22, 2007 02:55 PM

Thank you for this article. Both my
parents came here from Tonga but was born and
raised in California. The thing I find most interesting about this
is that children are findings ways to justify why they're
in gangs. A gang is family, it provides safety, to be completely
honest that's all BS. I love it when I hear the ones that
say there's no other way. I too have family that associates
with the "gangsta lifestyle" but the reality
still remains that its your decision to either join or not. What
really kept me out of gangs and kept me
in school was love. The love I have for
my dad when he goes and 'iate when
its hot as hell yet never complains, but rather
does what is necessary for his kids to have and to strive for
something better. The love I have for my mom who used to tanaki
ngeesi kapa to recycle so we could have extra money when the
raining season came around and my pops would be out of a job. This
is my motivation to never hurt my parents, and to one day tell
my folks that they dont have to work
anymore and just be content knowing that
their son didn't waste the sacrafices they made so that we
could have a better life. God has blessed me with hardworking
parents and an understanding to appreciate everything they
've done for my life. So to all you "thugs,
playas, gangstas" remember who's always gonna be
there for you regardless.. GOD and FAMILY...do something to make
them proud...

Anonymous

Nov 09, 2007 04:10 PM

salt lake city should be considered a state... of
emergency!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous

Nov 12, 2007 01:29 PM

yo all of us polys need to look out for one
another. this violence is not doing the communities any
good and giving the POLYNESIAN name a bad root and name.
We need to leave our past the past, now we to focus on the future
and on the younger generation because those are our
leaders. Our parents came here for a reason and its not
to join gangs and kill each other. Its to have a better
life and live in peace.

to all you polys,
"ofa atu, and may god
bless."

Anonymous

Nov 20, 2007 05:52 PM

ummmmm....very interesting!!

Anonymous

Nov 21, 2007 11:50 AM

i FiNd THiS ARTiCLE vERy APPRECiATivE TO
MEEh.

i THiNk THAT AS A yOUNG PACiFiC iSLANdER
iT iS bETTER

TO jUSS TRy HARd TO STAy OUTTA
THE GANG LiFE

.ANd iTs SAd bUT TRUE ALOT OF
THESE POLyNESiAN GANG

bANGERs GO TO CHURCH
EvERy SUNdAy ANd pASS THE SACRAMENT.WiTH NO REGRETs ANd
NO REALiZATiON THAT WHAT THEy dO iT WRONG.i AM GRATEFUL
THAT i NEvER

GOT iNTO THAT STUff.i HAve LOST 3
LOvEd ONEs

TO GANG ViOLENCE.ONE SHOT bY
ALLEGEd TCG

ONE SHOT bY ALLEGEd TFL ANd ONE
SHOT

By ALLEGEd USO SQUAd..iTs HARd TO LivE
THRU

THE viOLENCE NEEdS TO STOP

OFA LAHi ATU'

Anonymous

Dec 11, 2007 05:35 PM

I know what it feels like to be in a gang because my
family is from a lot of gangs. one gang coming for you one after a
nother you are scared at first but then you get used to i live in
compton by the twats area palmer block park village and sons of
samoa tongan 4 life tongan crip gang. Its not the easyest thing in
the world but I say its easyer to get in then to get out ecause it
is the same way you get in but harder because you dont want to see
your hmoies get killed and blame it on your self. My auntys and
uncles are down for there hood my aunty from sons of samoa they
used to call her lady crip. But i think it better to stay out of a
gang because would you like to see your loved one die in your hands
and then you take your anger out on them because they killed your
loved one.My uncle died from leukema it heut me bad because I
havent seen him in a long time it was time for his funirol and I
did not get to go because my mom siad there was no room. I hurt at
first then I siad to myself god must have punished me for what I
did I thought to myself its my uncles funerule I should go on his
behalf. But it is still good to be in a gang so you can keep your
cousins or familys back wouldn't you like someone to watch
your back day and night just like jesus dose to
usiii

Anonymous

Dec 31, 2007 07:40 AM

Thanks for all the great articles...just
stumble in it and WOW! very interesting! I'm a Samoan and
been living in Colorado since 1983. I've been in and out of
the country (Phillipines, Korea & Japan). Keep up the great
work - both in teaching our poly youths and great articles..

Patricia Gasu
McGinn

Anonymous

Jan 25, 2008 06:07 PM

As a proud Samoan-American
reading articles such as these influence me to be
more aware of my surroundings and more conscience of the
events that are happening within our polynesian community. It
doesn't matter if you're blood or crip, tongan or
samoan, because these palagi's and society categorize
us ALL as being the same. On a personal level I
think we as polys are a chosen people, but many of us don't
realize it.

Reading this article pisses me of
as well. It just brings a negative light to the polynesian youth.
Not every poly youngter is participating in gangs, and
those who aren't fimiliar with polynesian people
can become stereotypical. And why do the negative acts of a certain
group get more attention than the positive things that are
happening within the polynesian community. Have you guys not heard
of the term a "balanced media."

The death of "Toke" is not only sad to
me but it is also embarassing. I say this because of the place
where this incident occured. He was killed at a Lucky Dube
concert! Reggae concerts are place of unity and celebration. What
happened that night goes against everything Lucky sang about. I
know from first hand how it is to gang bang, being that I have
family and friends in gangs and I myself was a gang member.
It's important for those who have children to teach them of
such dangers and most importantly show them that
you love them. We also need to seperate this
bullshit from our places of worship.

Anonymous

Apr 09, 2008 11:23 AM

This is a very inspiring story
for many young boys who make the decision to be in a gang so it can
help them have 2nd thoughts. Its not worth it because you never
want to get caught up in something that was the LAST thing on your
mind! Its scary, sometimes i feel like i can't even walk
out of my house because i feel like my own BROTHERS'
ENEMIES are going to shoot me to death. My house has been shot up
more than 2 times already and its a frightening thought knowing
someone wants to kill someone you care about, maybe even you! I
read this story a long time ago, but somehow I found it on the
internet and i just love this story. Its shows how much parents
really care for theirs kids, but they make their own decisions to
be part of the gang. I have older brothers who are in the regulator
gang and it startles me knowing that they arent doing the right
thing. Most of my brothers are married and you think that would
change them, but sometimes they just want to go back to the
"OLD LIFE". I love my brothers so much and I know
they wouild do anything for me, but ill never want to lose them.
Rocky has always been an older brother to me...he always calls me
SIS! i love that guy so much! When i hear stories about him its
just so hard to believe because he is this whole other person when
he's around his SISTERS because he has respect for them! I
love this story so much not only becaue its about our people, but
because its REALITY! I hope one day we can all get along! Im tired
of losing loved ones because of gang violence and its sad to see my
brothers' enemies' family mourn for their loved
ones because of gang violence! I hope and pray that one day we can
all come together as ONE! everyone TAKE CARE!

REST IN PEACE SIMOTE MANATAU AND
GEORGE TUIASOA!!!! ill see you on the otherside! YOU BOTH ARE
ALWAYS IN MY HEART!

OFA LAHI ATU TO MY FAMILI IN WEST VALLEY CITY!

Anonymous

Apr 28, 2008 11:53 AM

I'm glad they are fighting. I need
future employees to make my fast food and mow my lawn.
Keep up the good work, you all are also thinning out the stupid
gene pool. I'm an educated Tongan and would
rather have my own people filling these requirements than the
Hispanics. Thanks for helping a brotha out.

Interesting......

Uso

Feb 22, 2009 09:42 PM

I think this was interesting, What happened to all that Poly Love that everone talks about that were known for? Its crazy because the people in West Valley that are mentioned in this article, I still hear rumors about. Like for one, Rocky's married but don't make him a changed person.I still hear that he's running around and who know's what...lol 2nd, Finau may have moved to Reno and erolled in school and married with kids, but does'nt stop him from coming back and forth from Reno to have family gathering and end up having a few cold ones. Then where do you think that's gonna lead to? Uhhhh huh....I dont like Rose Park, but they all must of grew up cause I dont hear anything about them anymore...But I do got to give it up to them Fonua's from Rose Park....RIP to mah nigga Mafile'o Fonua aka GRIZZ!!!! Much love to you and your Family!!!

Listen

Jeff

Mar 11, 2009 01:37 AM

The "Poly's" are the most special people around ton..notice my excellent spelling...get it together you all know us white's "palagi's" love you much

bloody stupid idiots!

ROBBO

Jul 10, 2009 10:32 PM

I know every single one of you are out doing ur thing at night in the streets, hustling, beating up some kid, stealing from whoever, giving grief to the wider community or just being plain old idiots and causing a messy havoc and wake up the next morning going to church as if nothing happened the night before.

Look at the bigger picture! i bet some are all grown men with kids and a wife at home wondering what the hell ur doing out every night with the boys? Act like men, do the right thing and hang up the flag. Be the father figure ur kids would want to see! Be an example to 'em! And to you little wannabe gangsters, you have it good in this life! Back in the days opportunity was scarce, the only thing us poly's knew was sport. We ddnt have opportunities in our day that would help us be better people. We were too dumb to graduate high svhool; so we had to look for jobs to support mum and dad.

we take for granted the sacrifices our parents made to have what we have now, a better life. I think we owe it to them. Give life another go, but this time, do it for real.

Much love to my uso's and tamasii's!

polynesian gangs in australia

Lorenzo Tangi

Jul 20, 2009 10:31 PM

Although in Australia we dont go through as much drive-by's and homicides as they do in the U.S, our poly gang violence here looks like it'll never end. Just like those before the gangsters these days it takes more than just a few lessons, pictures and words to stop whats gotta be done. Growing up in a family where we are told from when we are litle "we are born crips" you kinda get the feeling you're protected everywhere you go, but its not like that. Not realising what our older brothers and cousins had to go through jus so we could walk down the road, you know, we thought we were sweet but it was hard for them. Now that im older and have little siblings and little cousins we realise all we have to do just so our families can be alright. Yeah, we dont forget where our parents have come from just so we can be here today, we dont forget our cultures and customs over a few blue flags and a pair of chucks, and what some dont understand is that being a gangster isnt who we are, from the beginning it was never about who was the toughest, scariest or the strongest, it was always about standing up for our own.

peace, luv, n harmony

Leilani

Jun 08, 2010 03:54 PM

first and for most i want to thank our heavenly father for his continuous guidence and blessings he has thrust upon us. rest in peace to all our brothers and sisters we have lost because of nonsense like these. i always wonder why do our people committ such crimes and especially to each other. we were brought up and taught bye our parents to love and respect one another, yet, they disobey and is lead to a life they cannot get out of, and the only way is thru a body bag. we were brought out here bye our parents for a reason. they brought us here hoping we would receive a good education so that we can grow up and have a future, something they never had back home in the islands. polynesian kids these days i think are just little "fie me'a kotas" thinking they are the shit if they bang whoopty whoop. little do they know they make themselves look like arrogant little ta'es. no life at all, trust me! they dont realize how much pain they put their families in. i was born and raised in inglewood california, gang violence was like a walk to the park for me. all i wanted to do was to get out of that neighborhood and find me a life. my brothers and cousins all banged tongan crip and i was ammuned to this life style. i was shot twice in the head, there was no way for me to live such a blow to the head, but my family and friends constant prayers and beliefs in the lord almighty helped me live my life once more. i believe god gave me a second chance to live my life to help and make a difference in my community and in my peoples way of life.28 years after the incident i am now living in new york city working as an executive assitant for one of the wealthiest man in america, yes i mean bill gates. until now my family still lives in inglewood and is living the life from my success. if i can change my world and life around, any body can if they just believe and give their all to their work and to god, then you'll accompplish in anything coming your ways. forgive, forget and believe!

Bryan Hill

Apr 28, 2011 08:29 AM

I was raised in a tough neighbourhood in the 80s with some of the toughest boys in the World like K1 Champion Mark Hunt, who lived four houses over from us and Boxer David Tua who I went to school with.We all grew up watching Mike Tyson training hard and wanting to be like him, we learnt the value of a good work ethic. As we grew older, we realised the value of an education and of being business savvy.As we grew smarter, we began to appreciate the value of our love for God, our family and for others.

Our parents, when they came to these foreign lands (My parents came to NZ), I bet could not imagine the effect that Western life would have on us. But we have the opportunity to be an example to others...not just learn from our own mistakes.I entreat all my poly brothers and sisters to use what comes naturally to you - your love of people and each other to enhance your life and pass on those lessons to our young people.Much Alofas/Ofas/Aroha/Aloha